Sacred
Places Europe

Excerpt:
"The Shroud of Turin"

From the time the shroud was in France numerous challenges to
its authenticity have been made. The bishop in Troyes denounced it in 1389 as an
artist's rendition and forbade priests from claiming it as the true shroud. Such
pro and con views continued for hundreds of years. It was not until Church
authorities allowed the shroud to be carbon dated by several independent
authorities that a new opinion emerged. Both independent studies concluded that
the cloth samples sent in were manufactured between 1260 and 1390. Such hard
evidence forced the Church to accept the new test results and reverse its
decision. Now the Catholic Church says the Shroud is a representation of the
passion of Christ, but not the original burial shroud of Jesus.

The advent of photography in the 19th Century led to a new
discovery regarding the portrait on the fabric. It appears to be a negative
image and when reversed it reveals an image never before seen. The reversal of
the Shroud offered a likeness of Christ, especially the face. A century of
scientific research also concluded the following tantalizing tidbits: the Shroud
is not a painting; traces of real blood appear in several different places; the
blood stains involve gravity, suggesting a real death; the eyes are covered with
coins, one of which has been identified as the "widow's mite" minted under
Pontius Pilate; and finally, pollen embedded in the cloth has been extracted and
can be dated to the 1st century Palestine, implying that the Shroud passed
through the region of the eastern Mediterranean. Some of these details could not
have been faked, say the die-hard believers. For example, how could people in
the Middle Ages have anticipated 20th century image analyzers that show specific
details, which would otherwise be undetectable?

Viewing the Shroud of Turin

Due to the immense popularity of the Shroud, it is not available
to be viewed unless by special arrangement. Instead, the masses are directed to
the Museum of the Turin Shroud (Via S. Domenico, 28), where an exact replica is
on display.